Lithuanian cinema, often under-represented on the international film festival circuit, was the big story at this year's Locarno Film Festival awards ceremony, with two films from the Baltic state taking home a number of top prizes between them.
Not only did “Toxic,” the auspicious debut from writer-director Sauli Barisha, win the Golden Leopard for Best Film in the festival’s first international competition—from a jury chaired by Austrian writer Jessica Hausner—it also, in an unusual double, won the Grand Prix in the separately judged first feature competition. Barisha’s compatriot Lorynas Barisha, meanwhile, won Best Director in the international competition for his second feature, “Drowning Dry,” while the film’s cast also collectively took home one of the gender-neutral jury prizes.
We'll post the full story later, with a full list of winners below:
International Competition
Golden Leopard for Best Film: “Toxic” Saul Bliuvaitė
Special Jury Prize: “The Moon” by Cordwin Ayoub
Best Director: Lorinas Barisha, “Dry Drowning”
Best performance: (For example) Gelmeni Gelmzaite, Agni Kaktaite, Giedrius Kela, and Paulius Markevičius, “Dry Drowning”; Kim Minhee, “By the Stream”
Special Notes: “Youth (Hard Times)”, Wang Bing; “Hail Maria”, Mark Cole
Filmmakers Competition
Best Movie: “Sacred Electricity”, Tato Kotitishvili
Best Emerging Director: Dennis Fernandez on “Hanami”
Special Jury Prize: “Listen to the Voices” by Maxime Jean-Baptiste
Best performance: (ex aequo) Kali Hernandez, “Invention”; Anna Mezzoli, “Lesson Learned”
Special Notes: “The Lesson Learned”, Balint Semler; “When the Phone Rings”, Eva Radivojevic
First Competition for Feature Films
Swatch Award for First Feature Film: “Toxic” Saul Bliuvaitė
MUBI Award for First Feature Film: “The Green Line” by Sylvie Palioter
Special Notes“Hanami” by Denis Fernandez; “Listen to the Voices” by Maxime Jean-Baptiste
Bardi Di Domaine Short Film Competition
Author's Short Film Competition
Best Short Film by Author: “The Result” Maha Haj
Special mention: “The Masked Beast” Se Young Park
Short Film Nominee for Locarno Film Festival – European Film Awards: “The Exploding Girl” by Caroline Bogie and Jonathan Fennell
International Competition
Best International Short Film: “Wash” Mickey Lai
Bardino d'Argento: “Plague Hymn” Attaka 51
Best Director: “You're So Good, Rico” by Joel Alfonso Vargas
Medien Patent Verwaltung AG Award: “The Model” by Malika Bazouki
Special mention: “Strange” Claire Barnett
National Competition
Best Swiss Short Film: “Soundless” by Samuel Pathé
Bardino d'Argento: “Better not to kill the groove” Jonathan Leggett
Best Swiss Newcomer Award: Gabriel Grosclaude, “Lux Carne”
Special mention: “Progressive Mining” Gabriel Baumer
Bardo Verdi Competition
Bardo Verdi: “Agora” by Alaa El Din Selim
Special Notes: “Der Flick” by Willy Hans; “The Carousel” by Johann Lorff and Christina Goernick
Independent Jury Awards
Ecumenical Jury Prize: “Toxic” Saul Bliuvaitė
Special mention: “The Moon” by Cordwin Ayoub
International Sports Critics Association Award: “Youth (Hard Times)” Wang Bing
Cinema Europe Brand: “The Moon” by Cordwin Ayoub
Small Jury Awards
International Competition
First Prize: “The Green Line” by Sylvie Baliot
Second Prize: “Toxic” Saul Bliuvaitė
Third Prize: “Salvia Maria” Marco Cole
The Environment Award is Quality of Life: “Youth (Hard Times)” Wang Bing
Presentation Center Competition
First Prize: “Sacred Electricity”, Tato Kotitishvili
Special mention: “Olivia and Las Nubes”, Tomas Pichardo Espaillat
Short Film Competition
International Competition Award: “Razih Dale” by Maryam Tafkuri
Special mention: “The Gambler” Jason Adam Maciel
National Competition Award: “Soundless” by Samuel Pathé
Special mention: “Luxe Carne” by Gabrielle Grosscloud
Short Author Award: “The Result” Maha Haj
The Environment Award is Quality of Life: “Three Leaves” by Eleonore Coyet and Sephora Montell
Critics Week Awards
Grand Prize: Fair Urban by Simon Baumann
Marco Zucchi Award (For the most aesthetically and formally innovative documentary): “La Déposition” by Claudia Marchal
International Residence Kurzfilmtag Winterthur @ Villa Ströli: Maryam Tafakuri
